Hi !I'm Apurv Nagpal, I review primarily Hindi movies here and am loving the fact that the plots now are so varied vs the formulaic stuff some years ago. For me, reviews must help you choose whether to watch or not, and so are written that way. The views expressed here are completely my own / personal and do not have any connection with my employers. Enjoy!

Friday, August 22, 2014

Katiyabaaz

So, this is a documentary. Had walked in thinking it was a movie. It articulates well, a problem faced in many Indian cities, especially in Kanpur, where it is set. Of power theft, loss-making government owned electricity companies, populist politicians determined to milk the situation, get elected, be arrogant, misbehave, sincere bureaucrats (there are a few) trying to improve the system and the titular character, a katiyabaaz, someone who actually makes his living by fiddling the wires to do the theft.

The battle lines are quite clearly drawn. It’s the Katiyabaaz, Loha Singh, Kanpur’s best wire guy vs the Power Supply Corporation, symbolized by its new IAS director, Mrs Ritu Maheshwari vs the Politician, Irfan Solanki, who’s only interested in playing to the gallery of onlookers. Its quite a vicious cycle too – there are few paying customers, so the transformers are of a certain capacity, but thanks to the rampant theft, they burn out, leading to more grief to the irate public, most of whom are non-paying but that doesn’t dampen their belligerence. And then there is the other issue of power supply / generation itself being well short of the demand.

The milieu is well captured, the technique of using interviews interspersed with the events in Kanpur is nicely done. The dangers Loha Singh goes through everytime he climbs a ladder to fix a wire, as do other citizens when wires burn, transformers short circuit, are brought to life nicely. After a while though, you wish the film would move faster, even go somewhere. Its quite repetitive in parts.

Everytime you visit certain parts of UP, especially places like Kanpur, apart from certain malls (and in Lucknow, the grotesque, overpriced parks) it seems like time has stood still… everything looks the same, the same filth, overcrowded lanes, overflowing sewers, the lawlessness and the burgeoning population. And of course the electricity issue. This documentary, in fact, doesn’t get into the powerful generator lobby and their machinations to keep the populace starved of the government supply. In any case, the film paints a dark picture, pun intended, of how things are… and are likely to remain for a very long time !

4 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The problem actually persists.. Peak summers and no electricity for two days.. This, at the time when there were no inverters.. If you ring up the officials, nobody takes your call. If by fluke you are lucky enough, then some vague reply 'madam peeche se problem hai, pata nahi kab light aayegi'... This inspite of Panki Power Station (a major one) ..that the city boosts of.. About time something is done.. Alarming disparity between the haves and the have-nots. The richie rich have 24×7 power back up, with big gen-sets on their roof tops nowadays..

About Me

A movie fanatic who's returned after 11 years abroad (mostly in Europe), and enjoys the variety in Hindi films nowadays. A person who loves to travel, is crazy about sport, an MBA from IIM-A, someone who used to love writing and is re-discovering the joy it brings !